1917 BSA MkIII*

It always humours me. A top quality example of an SMLE like this hardly draws a comment and generates little discussion, but threads on a cut up piece of junk or sporter that's been put together in repro wood, last fir many pages.
Beautiful rifle mate. Condition is superb and I love the transitional type forend.
Congratulations.

Nice pictures too.
 
HarryD said:
It always humours me. A top quality example of an SMLE like this hardly draws a comment and generates little discussion, but threads on a cut up piece of junk or sporter that's been put together in repro wood, last fir many pages.
Beautiful rifle mate. Condition is superb and I love the transitional type forend.
Congratulations.

Nice pictures too.
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So true HarryD, sometimes i wonder why i bother going though the trouble of posting photos of my nicer rifles when i can get more response if i posted one of my sporters, nice to see a few responses to this one, so thanks everyone :)
 
In Australia, restoring the rifles that were butchered and sportered in previous decades only fueled the parts market that was responsible for the destruction of countless more rifles. Wood and some of the more exotic parts have only dried up because the suppliers have realized that the complete rifle is actually worth more than the parts. Your preserving the rifles that are still intact and I place a far higher value on that than a cheap put together.
 
There is a seller on TradeMe who is doing something similar, he outbid me at a Antique Arms Auction earlier this year for a 07 Bayonet & scabbard only to put it up on TM later that night minus the scabbard with he put up a few days later, i think people like that should be banned from attending NZAHAA auctions as what they are doing flies in the face of what an organisation such as NZ Antique Arms is all about.
 
I agree whole heartedly with you guys. It's nice to restore them but it's getting harder and harder to find original unmolested rifles in any condition. 5TH, your collection boggles my mind. I've only been at this a few years but in that time I've only come across maybe enough rifles to count on one hand that would have fit your collection, and that's if you included No4s as well.

People who break up originals for their parts should be beaten savagely IMO.
 
flying pig said:
I agree whole heartedly with you guys. It's nice to restore them but it's getting harder and harder to find original unmolested rifles in any condition. 5TH, your collection boggles my mind. I've only been at this a few years but in that time I've only come across maybe enough rifles to count on one hand that would have fit your collection, and that's if you included No4s as well.

People who break up originals for their parts should be beaten savagely IMO.
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FP some years back this grub seller on ebay was auctioning 53 dated lithgow parts and after inquiring with him, I discovered he had broken up not one, but two 1953 lithgows. I won the auctions he had already listed and convinced him to sell me the other parts. This turd gave me a price list for every single part right down to the ejector screw and the combined price was considerably more than the complete rifles should have been. Only 1000 1953 lithgows made and this guy knew that but he and so many others are only interested in profit. Now as much as I despise this, I understand that we don't all have the same passion and people will try to make money however, but buying his parts just drives him further to destroy more rifles. We bust up good rifles to restore rifles that were cut up years ago. Doesn't make sense.
 
No it sure doesn't make sense. I feel the same way about using original scopes, pads, and mounts for a repro 4T or SMLE sniper. That is really hurting someone's chance of mating an original rifle that has lost its scope with its original scope again. My take on it anyway.

On the flip side I have no issues with good reproduction parts. It keeps the shooters shooting without breaking up original rifles.

Another point with the restored rifles is that I'm seeing only about 50% of restored rifles being sold here and elsewhere being posted as restored rifles and not being passed off as original. Makes me wonder how many brand new collectors have wound up with these thinking they are legit. I don't ever want to see our Lees going the way of Garands where a fully restored pieced together rifle is worth as much or more than an as issued or as sold out of service original. Some of them seem to be getting listed for prices that should be reserved for factory new condition originals. IMO an unmolested as issued Danish Garand should be worth as much if not more than the restored ones but they seem to hold about half the value because of the lost or non existent US connection. News flash, the restored ones are no where near how they left US service either. Sorry for the derail bit that's my take.
 
Looks like either a repro or a later MkIII* forend that has been cut for Volley sights, the later forends have a straight line profile to the underside where the earlier forends have a "swell" below the front Volley sight or where they would have been on the early post Volley sight forends.
 
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